Current geo-visualization applications support disciplines like cartography and tasks that include monitoring of radar and GPS contacts, and force locations and movement. Some applications provide users with the ability to perform simple aggregation of disparate data events as map events. Most mapping tools further support the creation, addition, and removal of special purpose geographic layers and data overlays; some mapping tools even provide two-dimensional and three-dimensional visualization of natural and man-made features. All of these capabilities and features of current map-based products support the creation of visually spectacular views. However, the views often are not easily correlated to real-world tasks and workplace requirements. Thus, current geo-visualization tools do not specifically support situational awareness (SA).
Current SA software tools tend to be stand-alone, “stovepiped” legacy applications that provide only narrow SA visualization capabilities to the user. Also, there is often a large degree of functional overlapping among these applications, which requires users to recognize and eliminate duplicative or redundant information. Consequently, the data-collection capabilities of these applications tend to be both labor and training intensive. Additional disadvantages to existing SA methods and systems are the lack of timeliness of the information (due to the labor required to discover, collect, review, and disseminate the information), low levels of accuracy and consistency of information (due to the manual nature of reviewing the available data sources and correctly summarizing the data into information or knowledge units), and lack of relevance to consumers of the information (due to limited understanding of the context in which the information or knowledge units were developed). Also, current SA tools do not specifically support geo-visualization.
The Department of Defense in particular has a requirement for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (“C4I”) that is collaborative, dispersed, interactive, and real-time. Current C4I takes place in command post locations using maps, overlays and networked computers. These locations are fixed sites that require commanders to travel between command locations to ensure that every unit under the command shares a common vision of the situation under consideration. There exists a need for a C4I system which eliminates the delay caused by this travel. As will become apparent upon reading the detailed description herein, he present inventive subject matter relies on topics of digital mapping and image registration, which are fused with visual display of data link communication.
None of the prior art references address a situation wherein a visual status of an event whose image is acquired by a Command and Control (C&C) unit is automatically updated in real time in all the C&C units which are connected to the first C&C unit. Such updated information would be useful to all the C&C units in obtaining and maintaining a current, real-time SA of the situation; the information would be helpful in deciding whether to deploy and/or reassign vehicles under C&C unit control, as the SA for the event warrants.
As an example, consider a fleet of aircraft carriers wherein each ship controls its own squadron of aircraft. Each aircraft carrier is an autonomous command and control unit with respect to its own aircraft. Also assume that some of the ships collectively supervise the same geographical terrain territory, thus they use maps or aerial photographs in which the same significant events may appear. Assume also that whenever an aircraft under the C&C of one of the ships engages a specific target, the aircraft also transmits back to its ship (and only its ships) images of scenes, which include the engaged target. In such a case it would be beneficial that the rest of the aircraft carriers to be aware of the change of the status of the engaged target and thus avoid assigning duplicate aircraft assets to engage the same target.
In the past, operators of the individual control units were able upon listening to verbal communication to mark by hand or electronically, (e.g. by using a mouse) events on maps or aerial photographs. With the advent of “speechless” digital data link communications between control units, the operator of a control unit no longer receives the necessary information permitting him to be aware of changes in status of events which are reported by other control units. Furthermore even if the operator could access this vast quantity of verbal information, the operator would not be able to effectively handle the information.